The Grimm Troupe
by MementoMori115
Summary: Rarely do they serve as the harbingers of a Kingdoms fall. Normally they are just the scavengers that pick apart the remains. No matter. Their presence all but guarantees the Kingdoms inevitable fall. They'll just have to bide their time and wait for it to happen.


**A/N- 4 days, a combined total of over 8 hours, and easily at least 100 attempts, and I finally managed to beat the Nightmare King... And it was oh so satisfying.**

 **I swear I went through at least 10 different charm loadouts before I finally hit the jackpot.**

 **Anyway, since I finally managed to finish the Grimm Troupe dlc, I decided to make a little fanfic about it. I almost definitely will be leaving this as it is, as I will be going back to my other Hollow Knight xover where I plan to include Grimm and his Troupe as well. But for now, I wanted to get something like this out.**

 **Also, if anyone is having trouble fighting that Nightmare of a boss, PM me and I'll give you some tips and my recommended charm loadout.**

 **Other than that, I hope you like this and leave a review.**

 **Disclaimer- I OWN NOTHING!**

 **(-)**

" _Cross dream they travel to collect the embers, of a fallen Kingdom that none shall remember."_

 _\- The Grimm Troupe_

 **(-)**

There was a stillness in the air on that moonlit night. Not a sound was heard at that late hour in the Kingdom of Vale. Few people remained on the streets aside from the night owls. One might describe it as a particularly ordinary occurrence.

Yet, something was stirring in the darkness. Something that had long since been forgotten, yet still remained alive. It was time for _them_ to emerge once again. Ready yourselves, people of Vale. Soon the show shall begin.

It started as a faint noise in the distance. What sounded like accordion music drifting through the night air. Soon the noise grew louder and closer to the wall that separated Vale from the Wilds. The guards were the first to notice it. A red glow that escaped the cover of the forests trees and slowly approached the city. With each passing moment, the music grew louder and the light grew brighter.

Finally, the source of the disturbance came into a view. It was a caravan of carriages that were being towed by strange looking creatures that resembled Grimm, but at the same time they looked distinctly different. They lacked the glowing red eyes that all Grimm shared, yet they still had white masks. The fact that they were docile and acting as horses further cemented the belief that they were something else.

As the rest of the caravan emerged, the guards were instantly on edge. A parade of... _things,_ that vaguely resembled humans, if only in shape. They all wore white masks that blacked out their eyes. As they marched along, they played a variety of instruments in a dark but merry tune. With each passing moment, more and more emerged from the woods, each looking more ghastly than the last. Some resembled Wraiths and Poltergeists, while others defied description. They almost looked bug-like.

They held torches and lanterns high in the air, the mysterious red flame they produced illuminating the surroundings. An as they marched, they would sing. A strange song that none had heard before. A song that sounded like a harbinger of things to come.

"Shadows dream of endless fire, Flames devour and embers swoop. One will light the Nightmare Lantern, Call and serve in Grimm's dread Troupe."

The carriages and beings grew closer and closer to the city's wall, each passing moment sowing a sense of unease in the guards.

"A spark of red lights darkest dreams, Scarlet nightmares bright and wild. Visions dance and flames do speak, Burn the father, feed the child."

At last the lead carriage arrived at the gate and stopped in front of the guards. The vehicle was made of a combination of wood and steel, colored in different shades of black, grey, and red. There was a certain Gothic theme to it, along with the rest of the carriages, although the lead one was much fancier by comparison. Four torches stood tall at the four corners of the carriage, each burning with a scarlet blaze.

The guards were unaware of how to exactly proceed. That they felt unnerved by the display would be an understatement. Though none of the members of the caravan appeared to be armed with any sort of weapons, their resemblance to the Grimm was still concerning, despite their non-aggressive approach.

Almost sensing their indecision, the door to the lead carriage slowly opened with a drawn out creak. The guards could see a pair of spindly, pointed legs that lacked feet, but instead ended in sharp points. The carriage shook slightly as its occupant disembarked and stepped into the guards view.

The creature, for lack of a better word, had a lithe figure that was tightly wrapped in a dark-grey cloak with a spiraling design going down it. The bottom of the cloak reached past its knees and flared outward in a tattered-like appearance and revealed the crimson color underneath. The same could be said for the top of the cloak as it flared out at the persons neck in a similar fashion. It seemed to billow in a nonexistent wind, adding a air of mystery to the person who wore it. However the most prominent part of the persons appearance was the head. It was somewhat large in proportion to the rest of the body, but not overly so. What at first the guards thought to be a white mask, was actually the beings face. Evident by how it would briefly open its mouth to breathe, revealing the bright red interior. It had large red eyes that were set into an angular shape that made it look all the more intimidating, with a faint black rim that encircled them. Lastly, it had two black horn-like protrusions jutting up from the sides of its head.

It took a few moments, but one of the guards finally managed to find his voice.

"W-who goes there?" he asked with a slight stutter.

The figure let out a long, raspy exhale. "Ahhh... And here I was beginning to think that everyone had forgotten about us." he spoke in a very rough voice that sounded like a chain smoker who had a sore throat. He then turned his gaze towards the two guards. "I will require entrance to your Kingdom, along with the rest of my Troupe." as he said this, the guards couldn't help but notice the sharp, pointed teeth that the person sported.

Gulping audibly, the same guard responded. "I-I'm sorry... sir, but you need to show us your permit in order to gain entry... Especially with such a... large congregation."

The being briefly closed his eyes and shook his head slightly. "You seem to be mistaken." he said as he stepped forward. "We were the ones called to be here. We have no need to present any form of pass in order to gain entry."

"Still... We need to go through procedure... Especially given how," the guard cast a quick glance at the caravan, who were still playing their music. "Intimidating your group looks."

The man raised a thin arm out of his cloak, his fingers comprised of sharp claws, and held it up in a peaceful manner. "I assure you that despite our outward appearance, we have no unsavory intentions towards your Kingdom. We are simply here for the show."

"Y-yes, well..." the guard mumbled in uncertainty as he tried to think of how to respond.

The frightening man let out a slight sigh before pointing his finger at the guard in question and boring his red eyes into the guards blue. _"You shall permit us entrance to your Kingdom."_

A flash of red washed over the guards eyes before he became noticeably lax. "Yes sir. We shall permit you entrance to our Kingdom." he said with an empty tone of voice.

His partner looked at him in disbelief. "What the hell are you talking about Silvas?!"

The strange man then pointed to the other guard and repeated his previous statement, causing him to fall into line as well. Moments later, the duo opened the gate to the city to allow the man and his Troupe inside.

Turning on his feet, the mysterious man walked back to his carriage before climbing back in. "Time to put on a show."


End file.
